An Odd Sort of Family
by danniperson
Summary: REWRITE! Harry and Severus are stuck together again...this time forever, it seems.  Snarry, Mpreg.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

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The house was tall. And yellow. The house was tall and yellow. It stood five stories tall, mainly because the house was so narrow and looked more like a tower than a house. The roof and the door were burgundy, and every knob on every door was rusted, as was the old fashioned metal door knocker. The windows were all different shapes and were made out of stained glass making each room colorful until you pulled the curtains closed over them. If that wasn't bad enough, there was a fountain in front of the house…a stone cherub spitting water out of his mouth, standing up on one toe. It was the most hideous and the most ridiculous house Severus Snape had ever laid eyes on, and somehow it was now home.

Sighing, he stepped forward and began his journey down the curving stone pathway to the door. On the way there, he considered many things. Such as whether or not this was a good idea. He could always just leave and say it was prudent for him to remain in his own house on Spinner's End. Then again, too many awful memories lived in that house. But he couldn't very well live here, in this house. It meant that he would have ot accept all that he had done, how he'd ruined his life. It was horrible to think of it that way, but there really was no other way to put it. Everything had changed, and Severus couldn't see how it was for the better.

Shaking his head, he opened the door and stepped in, immediately bathed in the blue light of the living room. Severus deeply considered breaking the damn window, throwing a book or the couch through it, but he had reluctantly agreed to the most important rule of living here: keeping the peace. And breaking the blue atrocity was certainly not keeping peace. Maybe if he asked if he could break the window…and then the rest of them.

"Um…g-…uh…hello."

Severus turned on his heel, surprised, and saw _him _standing in the doorway leading into the kitchen. Potter. He was twenty-one now, and different from his days as a student. A war will do that to you. He looked much the same as ever. Unruly black hair, the same brilliant green eyes, a few inches taller, muscular, though hidden under baggy clothes. Khaki pants and a red sweater with lots of stains. He looked exhausted, dark shadows underneath his eyes and looking paler than usual. Severus felt some guilt, knowing they both had blame in why their lives had changed so dramatically and why they were now living together.

Severus noticed that Potter was holding a pair of scissors in his hand and half of a page from the Daily Prophet. Noticing the older man's glance, he held up the paper.

"The…uh…announcement," Potter explained, shrugging. He felt it, too. The strangeness of the situation. The awkwardness. It would always be like that. Strange and awkward.

"Did they get everything right?" Severus asked.

"Yeah," he replied. He picked up the paper and continued cutting.

"Good," Severus said. Even if this was unpleasant, he couldn't allow those imbeciles at the _Prophet _to screw up their announcement. As Potter continued cutting, Severus looked around the living room. The walls were bare and were painted a hideous shade of forest green that looked even worse in blue light. Everything about the bloody house needed to be changed. The only redeeming quality in the house was the fireplace in the living room...large, made of stone, with sleek black marble used on the floor in front of it and on the mantel. The furniture were things Potter had borrowed or brought along and was all mismatched. A navy blue chair, a maroon couch, a brown loveseat…Awful. The walls were unadorned and aside from the furniture Potter had brought, there was nothing there. No decorations, no personal touches, nothing. It didn't feel like home. It never could feel that way.

There was a small sound from behind the couch that made Severus jump, hand twitching to reach for his wand. The war was over, but it had left him paranoid and always on guard, even now. Potter smirked and shook his head, walking back into the kitchen. Severus walked around the couch and looked down at it…well…her.

His daughter.

_Their _daughter.

She was sitting in a small swing, eyes closed, breathing softly. She was two weeks old and had just gotten out of the hospital because those idiot healers kept performing tests…the same tests, over and over again. She had quite a lot of hair for a baby…black and thick and was now sporting gaudy pink bow with pink rhinestones in it. Severus grimaced at it and quickly pulled it out and shoved it under the maroon couch. He reached out and smoothed her hair back down on her head and examined her. She had chubby cheeks, but most babies did. She ten pounds, four ounces and twenty-four inches. He ran his finger down her cheek, not sure why he wanted to touch her. Her skin was pale and soft…And she opened her eyes. Blinked once or twice, her long thick lashes brushing his finger and she looked up at him with brilliant green eyes, curiously.

She looked like Potter. Same eyes, same mess of hair, but she was also cursed with Severus's ears, his nose, and long fingers…Maybe she'd be a pianist. Severus could teach her to play once she was old enough.

She continued to stare at him with that look of curiosity, mouth hanging open slightly, drool dripping out of her mouth. He pushed her chin up, but when he removed his finger, she dropped it again. He scowled at her. She was stubborn, like Potter.

"She awake?"

Severus jumped to his feet, surprised, and looked to see Potter pinning the birth announcement to the wall with purple tacks. He joined Severus in standing in front of the baby. Amira Lily Snape. Born to Misters Severus Snape and Harry Potter, June 7, 2001. Or so said the announcement now on the wall.

"You can hold her, you know, if you want."

Severus glared. He knew very well he could hold her. She was his daughter. She had his name and his nose…but he didn't want to. It seemed wrong to want to, like he wanted all of this. The house, Potter, Amira…And yet his hands were itching to do so, arms just begging to hold the small baby. A baby. Babies spit up and cried and…and he picked her up out of her swing and held her in his arms like the healer had taught them to. This was the first time he held her. She squirmed a bit, and he tensed, letting her get comfortable without moving, otherwise he might have dropped her. She finally settled herself and went back to staring at Severus, wide awake now.

How? How did this happen? When had he gone from Severus Snape, Potions master, hides in the dungeon, rumored to be a vampire to Severus Snape, father, lives in a hideous yellow house with Potter and Amira.

Oh yes…

_It was two days after Potter finally killed the Dark Lord, freeing the world from his horror and Severus from his service. The two wizards were sitting in Severus's office, pissed, hiding from the party going on upstairs. Severus had never liked parties and Potter had begged him to hide him from his adoring fans. It was shocking, the little arrogant whelp wanting to hide from his many fans and coming to Severus for aid in doing so._

_They drank a lot, privately celebrating the end of the war and celebrating the work they'd done together to win._

_"You were strong out there…" Potter was saying, slurred. "Very brave. And you call __**me **__idiotic and reckless…shielding me from Rowle like that…you're a hero."_

_He whispered the last part, grinning as he did, teasingly. Severus glared at him. That, too, was a teasing gesture. For some reason, Potter was sitting on the desk, pouring himself another glass of firewhiskey. And while he made sure his eventual hangover was just the more terrible, Severus took his time to admire the younger man's body._

_And he caught him. The brat caught Severus looking at him, eyes wondering over his body eagerly. Potion stained hands were desperate to touch him. Who wasn't? He was very attractive. He smirked when he caught Severus's eye._

_Damned brat._

_He slid of the desk, and sat himself in his ex teacher's lap, sloppily pressing his lips to the other man's. And since Severus was equally drunk, all morals forgotten, he kissed him back, pulling his body closer to his, heart hammering in his chest. His hands received their wish, touching every bit of the hero's body they could reach, but it wasn't enough._

_Severus moved first, ripping Potter's shirt open and tossing it to the floor. His skin was hot and burned under his touch. Potter moaned and squirmed, his hardness pressing into Severus's stomach. And Severus kissed his neck and his chest…and everywhere…_

"Severus?"

Potter's voice interrupted the memory and Severus blinked rapidly, looking down at Amira again. Her eyes were closed now, sleeping in his arms.

"You okay?" Potter asked, gently taking Amira from him.

"Yes…I'm fine," Severus assured him, walking around and sitting down on the couch. He heard Potter walk away and upstairs to put Amira in her crib.

_Potter was naked, on the floor, fists clenched tightly as Severus slowly entered him. His grunts of discomfort were replaced with hisses and whimpers of pain._

_"Are you okay?"_

_"I've been through worse."_

_Severus nodded and continued pushing himself into that tight, warm body. They had both sobered up a lot since that kiss, but even if the effect of alcohol was weak, they still found themselves on the floor of the office, naked._

_Potter was a virgin. He'd told Severus when it was too late for him to gather enough self control to stop and to consider what he was doing._

_He was wonderful…he felt so perfect around Severus's cock, so warm and so tight and so beautiful…Thin lips trailed kisses down his back as he grew accustomed to having something up his bum, then, as he began pushing back against him, though Severus knew better than to think he was in any less pain, he pulled back and thrust inside._

_Potter groaned in pleasure, pressing back more eagerly now…_

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Potter was back.

"I'm fine."

It was a lie. How could he be fine? Living with James Potter's son, having a child…? It was ridiculous! He could hardly believe it, even while sitting in that house, with Potter and his child.

They had come to an agreement. Potter was insistent on keeping the child, and that Severus didn't have to have anything to do with them. Severus was not willing to let that happen. She was his daughter, whether or not he felt terribly overjoyed by her birth. Severus was a father and his absence would not change that. In fact, it would only be worse, knowing of Amira and not taking responsibility. Potter didn't want to get married, which was the proper thing to do (even if Severus didn't want to get married, either), but he did agree that they could live together, so long as he got to choose the house. After all, Severus wouldn't be there very much. He had Hogwarts. He had to teach.

Potter seemed a bit shocked by his willingness to be there for Amira. He couldn't say it offended him. He was very well aware of what people thought of him. Potter was even more surprised that Severus was so willing to agree to his terms. No marriage, separate rooms, their own lives, only connected by Amira. Keep peace in the house. Don't bring other people into the house. Never let anything happen to Amira.

Oh yes, and never mention what happened. Even though Severus thought about it a lot. Ever since Potter told him that he was pregnant, ever since she was born.

Severus smirked bitterly to himself. What a strange little family they would make.

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**Author's Note: **So I've been struggling with the second chapter of this story and came to realize today why I only ever wrote the one chapter four years ago. I suck at writing in first person point of view. Especially when it comes to writing a character that belongs to someone else. I do not do him nearly enough justice lol. I usually like the idea of first person point of view at first, but it never lasts long lol. Anyway, I decided to rewrite the first chapter in third person and I can hopefully have an easier time with the story and it'll allow for different perspectives to come into play and yeah, I think it'll be better. I hope everyone's still interested in the story and I should hopefully have another chapter up within a day or two!


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

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Severus and Potter spent a great deal of time their first day in the yellow house unpacking and cleaning up the yard all while taking care of their daughter. Severus had never required much sleep in his life, and had hoped to spend some time later that night getting some work done. Unfortunately, he didn't quite expect Amira to wake up frequently during the night and found himself strongly irritated to be interrupted so often. Often enough he would run into Potter on the way there or find that the boy was already taking care of her and would either offer to take this turn or return to his room in a worse mood for having gotten up unnecessarily. By half past one in the morning he decided to take advantage of what sleep he could get, though it was a troubled sleep.

Being a man who never needed much sleep, Severus was a bit surprised to find himself so exhausted at half past eight in the morning. He groaned and forced himself out of bed at his daughter's incessant wailing and felt half dead as he shuffled into her nursery. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was annoying. Her little body wiggled and her tiny arms and legs twitched and slapped or kicked at the air, but she was young and movement wasn't too wild or worrisome yet. It was the fussiest Severus had ever seen her these past two weeks and Severus did not like it. Would it be wrong to put a silencing charm and/or a body bind curse on the girl? Figuring it was, Severus sighed and reached into the crib to take her into his arms. She only calmed down a little bit. She was still crying and wiggling around and Severus was too tired to yell at her like he might have done with more energy. Baby or not, this was ridiculous.

Now Severus had to get her a bottle. He walked slowly out of the room, holding her firmly, and stopping short when he nearly ran into Potter. The young man stopped and yawned widely. "Mmm…You got her?" Potter asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Obviously," Severus remarked with exhausted sarcasm.

"Mkay," Potter said, yawning again. "Want breakfast?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. The brat was offering him breakfast? He felt he should say something about it, something smart and quick-witted, but he just didn't have it in him just now. Despite their agreement that they wouldn't pursue anything just because of Amira, it didn't mean that Potter's attempts to be nice meant anything other than the brat was a Gryffindor and he did nice things. He saved the world from the Dark Lord and he offered breakfast to men he used to hate, and probably still hated for all Severus knew. A nice good fucking on his office floor didn't mean Potter didn't hate him, even if Severus had taken his virginity. Even having a child together didn't have to change old feelings. It was just the way life was.

"I suppose if it would not be too much trouble," Severus eventually said, continuing his walk with Amira down the long spiral staircase. It was very silly that all of the bedrooms were on the _third_ floor and that they had to walk down two flights of stairs (on a _spiral staircase_) carrying a newborn just to get to the kitchen to make her bottle. Or going _up_ two flights of stairs to put her down for naps. Nothing about this house made much sense.

As he entered the kitchen, Severus shifted Amira into one arm and pulled out his wand, magically lighting the hideous kitchen. The walls were mauve and the window was orange, casting strange light into the small room. Severus had never really been too concerned about the aesthetics of anything, but everything about this house was awful and frustrating. It was one thing for it to be plain or even unfashionable, but this house had to have been designed to be downright distracting. "Your parents left you a great deal of money, did they not, Potter?" Severus asked, finally at his breaking point (after not even twenty four hours) and was ready to broach the subject. He waved his wand and summoned a bottle and some formula while Potter walked across the kitchen to the refrigerator where he began pulling out eggs.

"Yes?" Potter replied. "Why?"

"I was merely wondering why someone of your financial status would choose something like _this_ as a_ home_," Severus said. "Could you find nothing better?"

Potter paused for a moment but then returned to taking food out of the refrigerator. "You don't have to be here if you don't want to be, you know."

"I am well aware," Severus replied icily. "That wasn't my question."

Potter sighed and began pulling out pans and a spatula and began cracking a few eggs. "I was busy and I didn't even know how to go house-hunting so I asked Hermione, Ginny, and Luna to help out. Luna found this place and it was the only one that fit what I asked for. Something out of the way and where no one would expect to find either of us. Something with a lot of room. It's strange, yeah, but…I dunno. I don't think any reporters will be snooping around here anytime soon. Wizards have lived here before and there were already so many wards around it…I know we can't hide forever, but this seemed like the best place to do so for as long as we can. I want Amira to have a relatively peaceful life for as long as we can manage to give her one."

"This was the best you managed to find?" Severus asked doubtfully. Potter couldn't have tried all that hard, could he? Surely there were better options…Severus made a mental note to look into the real estate pages around Wizarding Europe, if only to shove the fact that there _were_, in fact, better options in Potter's face. With a flick of his wand he checked the temperature on the bottle and waited a few seconds longer, shifting the whimpering child into his other arm and switching his wand to the other. He wasn't doing anything too complicated, so his right hand would be fine.

"Yes," Potter replied irritably. "As long as it serves its purpose, that's all that should matter."

"Of course," Severus replied dryly. "Perhaps, then, you might be open-minded to some redecorating?"

"Erm…Yeah," Potter said, turning on the stove as he set to cooking some sausage links. Why he didn't do it with magic was beyond Severus…Personally, he preferred cooking without magic, but he assumed most people would be lost without it. Someone as lazy as Potter…Well, the boy wasn't really lazy. He wasn't really a great number of things that Severus thought of in his head. Old habits die hard and while he was getting better at not insulting the brat at every turn, it was hard to keep the nasty comments from forming in his mind. "The windows annoy me more than anything…It's like living in a kaleidoscope. I tried to get rid of them, but…I dunno. You try throwing something at it."

Severus raised his eyebrows. He felt a bit pleased by the permission to do something he had daydreamed of doing since arriving to this place yesterday afternoon. Still, he doubted it would have the desired affect if Potter's words were anything to go by. Ignoring Amira as her whines grew louder, he reached pocketed his wand momentarily and reached behind him to grab a random object (an long metal object that looked to be a piece to something Potter had tried to assemble yesterday) from the counter behind him and tossed it at the star-shaped orange window over the sink. The thing was heavy and big enough to go crashing through the glass. It didn't. The orange glass seemed to vibrate and the metal piece stood still a moment before it was thrown back, flying across the kitchen and landing on the floor only a few inches away from the wall. Severus stared at it for a moment, holding onto Amira tightened as she began wailing due to all of the noise.

"I think it must be part of the protection the old owners put on the house," Potter said. He shrugged and grabbed a clean pan out of the cabinet and slammed it as hard as he could into the window and quickly let go to and stepped back. The pan stayed in position for a moment before clattering down to hit the side of the sink before toppling over onto the floor. Smart move on Potter's end…Severus had a feeling Potter would have been thrown around with it had he held onto the thing.

"I believed it when I tested it myself, Potter," Severus remarked, not sure why Potter felt the need to demonstrate further. He smirked when the boy glared at him and sighed when he nodded to Amira. Oh yes, the child…For once he was able to tune her out, but alas he had to take care of the child. He pulled his wand back out and checked the temperature on the bottle and summoned it back over to him and set it on the counter and laid his wand beside it, switching Amira into his other arm again and pocketing his wand before finally grabbing the bottle and placing the nipple against her mouth, waiting for her to eagerly suck it in. He glanced up at Potter who hadn't responded…He was cooking again, though he seemed embarrassed if the redness of the back of his neck was anything to go by. Severus smirked and walked with Amira into the adjacent dining room and sat himself at the small round table.

He thought he might doze off for a moment. He was definitely going to need to make something to give him more energy. He didn't like taking potion to keep awake and rarely needed them, but he had a feeling he would need to rely on them until the brat learned how to sleep through the night. He yawned and shifted her around a bit more comfortably and looked down at her. Her little mouth was working over the nipple while her bright green eyes took in her surroundings before finally settling on staring at her father. Severus raised an eyebrow at her. She blinked. Severus sighed and looked over her face. Her features were still too small to tell much, but her nose already looked the way his had when he was born He felt the need to apologize for it and could only hope she wouldn't hate him too much for it. He slid his hand down the bottle so that he could reach out a finger to gently tap her on the tip of her nose. Amira blinked again and looked down at where his finger had been.

"What do you want to drink?" Potter called from the kitchen.

"Do you have any coffee?"

"Yeah. How do you take it?"

"Black."

Potter chuckled and Severus smirked and rolled his eyes. Whenever it came to coffee, people were often surprised by how _obvious_ the way he preferred it was. Potter seemed to find it amusing and Severus was too exhausted to be properly annoyed. Unfortunately he wasn't too tired to not feel awkward. Their entire situation was awkward and had never ceased being awkward since that fateful night. Even after the great sex they shared, there was no afterglow to enjoy; only hastily redressing and stuttered words and Potter making his eager exit. Four months of preparing for the child's arrival hadn't done either of them any good. They'd only had four months considering Potter hadn't even known he was pregnant until his second trimester, mainly due to the fact that –

"_I didn't even know blokes could __**get**__ pregnant!" Potter groaned, dropping his face into his hands. The young man sat across from Severus in the man's office with a swollen stomach and a face red in embarrassment and whatever other complicated emotions his hormones were producing for him. The first time Severus had even seen Potter in the five months since that night and the first thing that had left the boy's mouth was that he was pregnant. _

"_How could you not know?" Severus demanded angrily. _

"_I grew up with Muggles!" Potter snapped._

"_And you never considered to do research on the world you were entering the moment you discovered what you were? Aren't you best friends with Granger? I'm sure she knew almost everything about the Wizarding world before she even actually stepped into it," Severus said._

"_I didn't exactly think to check if I could bear children, Snape!" Potter said hotly. "Why weren't you using protection?"_

"_I rarely need to!" Severus shot back. "Most of my partners are smart enough to take care of that themselves. Not to mention it is almost impossible for me to even __**get**__ anyone pregnant." Severus had always known it would be near impossible for him to father a child at the end of the first Wizarding war because of an accident that took place during one of his many duels among the Death Eaters. "Therefore, I highly doubt that it's even mine."_

_Potter's eyes flashed angrily. "Just because I made some stupid mistake with a greasy git doesn't mean I'm some slut, Snape. Yours is the only…__**cock**__—" he looked so uncomfortable saying it and Severus took pleasure in the boy's discomfort and shyness "—that's been up my arse! Besides, last time I checked __**almost**__ impossible wasn't __**completely**__ impossible. Right, __**Snape**__?"_

_Severus glowered at the boy and almost immediately regretted his wording. Even if it was the truth, he was still unwilling to accept the possibility that the child Potter was carrying could even be his. It didn't matter what the healers said about his due date and the fact that it pointed to Potter conceiving the night they were together. No matter Potter claimed Severus was the only person he had been with. It didn't matter because Severus Snape could not be a father to anyone. _

_He especially didn't like Potter's tone. _

"_What exactly do you want from me, Potter?" Severus asked after several long moments._

"_Nothing," Potter said coldly, standing up with a struggle that was almost comical considering how harsh and dramatic his words were. He glared dangerously once he was on his feet. "Absolutely nothing."_

"I think she's done."

Severus blinked and pulled himself out of the memory and looked down at Amira who had stopped sucking the bottle. A small dribble of white formula trailed out of her mouth and was leaking onto the sleeve of Severus's shirt. Severus cleared his throat and set the bottle down while Potter placed a plate of food and a cup of coffee down in front of him. "Thank you," Severus said stiffly, not really sure how to react to Potter's kindness as he picked Amira up and draped her over his shoulder, gently patting her back.

"You're welcome," Potter replied, equally as nervous and uncertain about things. "Here…I'll go get her swing and you can put her in that while we eat."

Severus just nodded and continued patting Amira's back, doing so a bit more firmly while Potter went into the living room to drag in the small baby swing. Severus didn't know why he didn't just use magic, but he wouldn't question it. It was nice to see someone Potter's age not relying on magic for every little minute detail of their lives. He dragged in the swing and set it by Severus before going into the kitchen to retrieve his own plate. Only a second later, Amira finally burped and Severus moved around to set her in the swing and strapping her in, digging her pacifier out from under her and pressing it into her mouth when she began whining.

"This actually looks edible, Potter," Severus couldn't help but remark when he finally gave his plate a good look. Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and even a little bowl of fresh fruit on the side. He figured since it was essentially a compliment, Potter couldn't be too upset with its delivery.

"No need to sound so surprised," Potter snorted. "I've been cooking since I was a child."

Ah. "Yes," Severus said uncomfortably. He recalled seeing in the boy's Occlumency lessons him having to cook and clean and act like a good little slave to his relatives. Severus cleared his throat and picked up his fork to try some of the eggs. He could feel Potter's eyes on him and he glared up at the boy who was watching him expectantly while he chewed on his own food. "It's rude to stare, Potter," he said once he'd swallowed.

"I was just making sure it actually was edible," Potter said with a shrug, though his cheeks turned a faint pink color and Severus smirked. Potter cleared his throat. "You could call me Harry, you know, Severus."

Severus quirked an eyebrow. "I am very well aware of my abilities, Potter."

Potter rolled his eyes. "Don't be an arse. Look…I call you Severus, you can call me Harry. We shagged, you know. We're living together. We have a _child_ together. I see no reason to stick to referring to each other as Potter and Snape."

"I am well aware of those facts, as well," Severus remarked gruffly. "Harry," he added as an afterthought, testing it out. It felt weird on his tongue.

Potter chuckled, though he didn't look much more comfortable than Severus felt. "Well, then…I was thi—"

Before Potter could finish his thought, there was a loud tapping sound that was coming from the other room. Potter furrowed his eyebrows and stood up, walking into the living room. Severus leaned back in his chair and watched curiously as Potter walked to a window and opened it, letting in a clumsy looking owl. "Hey there, Pig," Potter said, taking the owl's load. An owl named Pig? Severus could only imagine what dunderhead came up with that one. Potter let the owl go and closed the window, walking back into the kitchen carrying a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ with a letter attached to it.

"Oh Merlin," Potter sighed. "_Dear Harry and Professor Snape…Thought you might want to see this…Love, Hermione_. This can't be good," Potter said, tossing the note to the table and instead of returning to his seat, pulled the empty chair closer to Severus's to sit down and he laid the paper out for them both to read. On the front page was plastered three pictures side by side…One of Severus, beside it was Potter, and beside that was the picture of a pink crib.

The headline?

HOGWARTS POTIONS MASTER SLIPS LOVE POTIONS TO THE BOY WHO LIVED

Severus sighed heavily and began reading.

_If you are a reader who looks through the birth announcements, a recent addition will have left you scandalized. It has been rumored for months now that the Boy Who Lived, Harry James Potter, was with child when pictures of the hero with a round stomach were found. The recent birth announcement confirms our suspicions and Mr. Potter has welcomed a baby girl into the world. The father of this precious Potter princess? None other than rumored ex Death Eater and supposed spy for the Order of the Phoenix, Severus Snape._

_Mr. Snape, Hogwarts Potions master for twenty years, has quite the reputation. His student fear him, his colleagues revere him, and no one particularly likes him. Everyone agrees on a couple of very important facts: that Severus Snape hates Harry Potter and that Severus Snape is very skilled in many areas—particularly potions._

_Why else would Harry Potter find himself in the bed of his old professor? An unattractive man twenty years his senior who made his school life hell and may or may not have been an avid supporter of He Who Must Not Be Named? The answer is clear: Severus Snape must have slipped our savior a love potion. We must all do our best to aid our Chosen One the best that we can. He has barely been seen during his pregnancy and no one has had any word of him since the birth of his daughter. Has Snape captured our hero and his child? Are they in danger? We at the __**Daily Prophet**__ will do our best to provide you these answers._

"What a load of rubbish," Potter muttered, disgusted. "They make you sound like a villain and act like I'm some damsel in distress!"

"Indeed," Severus said darkly, glowering at the paper. "I suppose this was what we should have expected."

"Expected? I can expect them coming up with ridiculous stories, but this was just…Merlin! This was awful," Potter spat, balling up the paper and tossing it across the room.

"What is so awful about it?" Severus questioned. He had an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was used to people saying bad things about him, but to have it in print and probably in the hands of everyone in Wizarding Britain? It was embarrassing and troubling, though Severus was going to try not to give it a second thought…At least after owling the Daily Prophet office to give them a piece of his mind. "I assure you, it is what everyone else was already thinking?"

"But how can they think that?" Potter ranted. "We had you cleared of all charges! You helped us win the war! I made sure they knew that! You're a hero! If you _hate_ me so much, why would you give me a _love_ potion, huh?"

"To use you, humiliate you," Severus explained, raising an eyebrow at the surprised look on the boy's face. "You do not have to love someone to want them to feel as though they love you. I could, if I was so inclined, extract my revenge through the use of a love potion. Not that I have, if you are concerned…"

"I'm not," Potter replied hastily. "Just…I hate them."

"Obviously," Severus said, somewhat amused by the boy's display and somewhat touched by his defense of him. Severus cleared his throat. "You should be used to it by now…and I assume I will have to be, too. More consequences all because of one mistake."

Potter frowned and glanced at Amira and Severus shifted in his chair. He hadn't exactly said that he was referring to Amira as one of the consequences, but Potter seemed to know she was what he was thinking of, anyway. "We can hardly expect them to be nice about it," Severus continued after a long, silent moment. "I am hardly the person they expect you to have anything to do with. They expected you to marry Granger or Weaselette and have _them_ carry your millions of perfect Potter offspring."

"Apparently forgetting that Hermione has Ron and Ginny has Draco," Potter said, rolling his eyes.

"I assume they were hoping Ginevra would realize the error of her ways, abandon the mean ole Death Eater, come to her senses and realize she was madly in love with you and wanted to be the vessel that produced your irritating spawn," Severus explained. "Or that you would charm your way into the pants of some Veela you rescued from an escaped convict or something equally as dramatic and romantic."

Potter wrinkled his nose. "Are all people that stupid?"

Severus smirked. "Yes." He'd been ranting about the stupidity of the world for years now. "Surely you can't blame them much. Would you have ever expected to find yourself losing your virginity to me, Mr. Potter?"

The boy's face heated up. "No."

"Surely you understand how strange a…pair we must seem?" Severus asked. Severus himself had never imagined shagging Potter. Not until that night. While he didn't like it, and it was silly for everyone to jump to such drastic conclusions, he understood why it would be strange and why they must assume the worst. Potter was their beloved boy hero, an attractive young man of twenty one with a bright future ahead of him and he had born the child of a sarcastic, cantankerous, bitter, unattractive man who was twice his age, ex Death Eater, and his least favorite teacher from his schoolboy days.

"Don't tell me you're defending them," Potter demanded, sounding suspicious.

"Hardly," scoffed Severus. "I'm only pointing out the harsher facts…This is the very thing we should expect from these fools and we will probably have to deal with it for a long time. At least it hasn't yet affected your image poorly, Potter."

"Harry," the boy corrected with a sigh, returning to his chair. For a few minutes they ate in silence. Potter actually cooked a decent meal and the coffee was delicious. Amira wiggled around in her seat a bit and made a few noises. Only when her pacifier fell out of her mouth did she start crying and Severus sighed impatiently and reached down to pluck it off of the floor and cast a quick cleaning charm upon it before sticking it back into her mouth.

"What it is you were speaking of before that owl interrupted?" Severus asked once he remembered the boy had been about to say something.

"Oh yeah," Potter said with a full mouth, quickly chewing and swallowing before continuing. "Mione and Ginny want to come over tomorrow and Sirius and Remus want to visit whenever they have time this week. I was wondering if you minded?"

"I am not your father…You do not need my permission to invite your…_friends_ over," Severus said.

"I thought I did," Potter said, rolling his eyes. "We agreed to run it by each other if we wanted to have guests? Remember?"

"Right," Severus said, feeling a bit surprised. He assumed that rule was specifically for him and never expected Potter to follow it. He even fully mentally planned out the speech he would give Potter the instant the rule was broken. He wasn't sure if he was disappointed or not that he wouldn't be able to use it now. "I suppose that would be fine."

"Thanks," Potter said with a nod and returned to devouring his meal. Severus watched him eat in mild disgust for a moment while he finished his coffee and stood up once he was done to pick up his empty bowl and plate.

"I'll be working in my office if you need me," he said before walking into the kitchen to wash off his dishes. He had never really needed to report to anyone this way before, but he figured Potter might like to know what he was doing, a warning to stay away unless it was important. Severus felt some relief as he stepped onto the spiral staircase a few minutes later. Even with the strange circular red window and the earwax colored walls, the office at least provided some escape and _some_ semblance of normality in this house.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Author's Note:** First off, I just have to say WOW. This story has gotten much better reception than I anticipated. Taking into account that I have my stories posted on three different sites, the one chapter I had posted of this got so much attention. Hit-wise, review-wise, favorites and alerts and everything are so much more than any of my stories have gotten after one chapter. Of course, it does make me nervous about posting this and I can only hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and will continue to enjoy the story.

To everyone who read this story when it was first posted and haven't seen it since, I have switched the point of view from first person to third because it is easier to work with for me. I think it will mostly be from Severus's perspective, though I will give a few Harry chapters here and there, I think. I actually don't have an outline for this story yet, so I guess we'll just have to see what happens until I can figure one out lol.

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Anniriel, FiresBurningTouch, cthullu, LIGHTNSHADOWS, Stardust of Orion, missingnin0x0, da-blk-saiyangirl, bookwormqueen7, joytiger, xXxElectraxXx, Saintsational, young wiccan, and Nightshade's Sydneylover150!

To ctullu: that's rude.

To LIGHTNSHADOWS: important events that took place before this story started will probably be hit upon in flashbacks or explanations later in the story so you should eventually see how everyone reacted!

To missingnin0x0: it made me laugh, too xD

To xXxElectraxXx: I'm glad you changed your mind!


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